This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Refer to the exhibit. A company has an SCP named 'DenyOutsideRegions' attached to the root OU. The SCP is intended to deny all actions outside us-east-1 and eu-west-1. However, users in a member account are still able to launch EC2 instances in ap-southeast-1. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The SCP is not applied to the root user of the member account.
Why wrong: SCPs apply to root user as well.
The SCP cannot restrict actions based on region.
Why wrong: SCPs can use condition keys like aws:RequestedRegion.
The SCP policy document does not contain a Deny statement for the regions.
The exhibit only shows the policy metadata, not the content.
The SCP is overridden by an Allow policy attached to the account.
Why wrong: Deny always overrides Allow in SCPs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The SCP policy document does not contain a Deny statement for the regions.
Option C is correct because the SCP policy document must explicitly include a Deny statement with a condition that restricts actions to only us-east-1 and eu-west-1. Without a Deny statement, the SCP is effectively permissive (Allow) by default, meaning it does not block actions in other regions. The SCP in the exhibit likely only has Allow statements for the two allowed regions, which does not prevent actions in ap-southeast-1.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The SCP is not applied to the root user of the member account.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs apply to root user as well.
The SCP cannot restrict actions based on region.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can use condition keys like aws:RequestedRegion.
The SCP policy document does not contain a Deny statement for the regions.
Why this is correct
The exhibit only shows the policy metadata, not the content.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The SCP is overridden by an Allow policy attached to the account.
Why it's wrong here
Deny always overrides Allow in SCPs.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates assume SCPs work like IAM policies where an explicit Allow is required, but SCPs require an explicit Deny to block actions; otherwise, they are permissive by default.
Detailed technical explanation
SCPs use an explicit Deny model: if a Deny statement matches an action, it is blocked regardless of any Allow statements. To restrict regions, you must include a Deny statement with a condition like 'StringNotEquals' on 'aws:RequestedRegion' for the allowed regions. Without this Deny, the default effect of an SCP is to allow all actions, so users can launch EC2 in any region. This is a common misconfiguration where administrators create Allow-only SCPs and expect them to deny by default.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The SCP policy document does not contain a Deny statement for the regions. — Option C is correct because the SCP policy document must explicitly include a Deny statement with a condition that restricts actions to only us-east-1 and eu-west-1. Without a Deny statement, the SCP is effectively permissive (Allow) by default, meaning it does not block actions in other regions. The SCP in the exhibit likely only has Allow statements for the two allowed regions, which does not prevent actions in ap-southeast-1.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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